Dell ObjectScale vs PowerScale
Dell ObjectScale
Dell PowerScale
Both ObjectScale and PowerScale are Dell scale-out storage platforms, but they solve different problems. ObjectScale is Dell's enterprise object store: a software-defined, S3-native platform (built on the proven Dell EMC ECS codebase, now re-architected around microservices and Kubernetes) designed for massive, geographically distributed, cloud-native and AI data lakes. PowerScale is Dell's scale-out NAS, running the OneFS operating system to serve file workloads (NFS and SMB) from a single namespace that can grow into the tens of petabytes. The practical question for a buyer is rarely "which is better" but "which data access model fits the application." If your apps speak the S3 API and you need globally distributed, exabyte-class object storage, ObjectScale is the natural fit. If your users and applications expect mounted file shares (home directories, media, genomics, analytics, HPC scratch), PowerScale is purpose-built for that. The two also coexist well: PowerScale is frequently the high-performance file tier while ObjectScale serves as the capacity object tier or long-term data lake. This page lays out where each platform leads so you can match it to the workload rather than the marketing.
Side by side
| Dell ObjectScale | Dell PowerScale | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary access model | Object storage, accessed through the S3 API over HTTP/HTTPS; built for applications written to object semantics rather than mounted shares. | Scale-out NAS, accessed as file shares over NFS and SMB; also supports S3, HDFS, HTTP and FTP for multiprotocol access to the same data. |
| Architecture | Software-defined, microservices-based and Kubernetes-orchestrated, evolved from the Dell EMC ECS codebase; runs on appliances or as SDS on PowerEdge servers. | OneFS distributed file system presenting a single file system and single global namespace across all nodes, with self-healing and self-managing data layout. |
| Typical workloads | Cloud-native and AI/ML data lakes, large-scale unstructured archives, backup targets, content repositories, and apps designed for object storage. | File-based workloads: home directories, media and entertainment, genomics and life sciences, EDA, analytics, and HPC where applications expect a filesystem. |
| Scale and namespace | Designed to grow to exabytes across a unified global namespace, with strong S3 compatibility and built-in geo-distribution across sites. | Scales from a few terabytes to more than 70 PB in a single namespace, with up to 252 nodes per cluster; scale capacity and performance by adding nodes. |
| Deployment options | Available as HDD or ultra-dense all-flash appliances, as a software update for existing systems, or as software-defined storage on Dell PowerEdge. | Delivered as OneFS-powered nodes in all-flash (F-series), hybrid, and archive (A-series) tiers; also available as PowerScale for public cloud. |
| Geo-distribution / multi-site | Strong suit: active-active access across geographically dispersed sites with a global namespace, a core trait inherited from ECS. | Cluster is typically a single-site system; multi-site protection is handled via replication (SyncIQ) rather than a single stretched namespace. |
| Best for AI/modern apps | Positioned by Dell as an AI-ready object platform (ObjectScale 4.0 / ObjectScale.Next) optimized for high-throughput object access at scale. | Strong for AI/HPC pipelines that need high-performance file access and very large single namespaces, especially on all-flash F-series nodes. |
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Dell ObjectScale
Dell PowerScale
Choose Dell ObjectScale if
Your applications are written to the S3 API and you need object storage rather than file shares. ObjectScale is the right call for cloud-native and containerized apps, AI/ML data lakes, large unstructured archives, and backup or content repositories that benefit from exabyte-class capacity and a global namespace. It also shines when data must be served active-active across multiple geographic sites, a strength carried over from the ECS lineage. The software-defined, Kubernetes-based design makes it a natural fit for VMware or Red Hat OpenShift environments and for teams that want to run storage as software on Dell PowerEdge. If your roadmap is built around object semantics and massive horizontal scale, ObjectScale is the platform designed for it.
Choose Dell PowerScale if
Your users and applications expect mounted file shares over NFS or SMB. PowerScale is purpose-built scale-out NAS for file-heavy workloads: user home directories, media and entertainment, genomics and life sciences, EDA, analytics, and HPC. The OneFS single namespace lets a cluster grow into the tens of petabytes while staying simple to manage, and you can mix all-flash, hybrid, and archive nodes to balance performance against cost. Because OneFS is multiprotocol, you can also reach the same data via S3, HDFS, HTTP, or FTP, which helps bridge file and object access. If high-performance file serving from a single large namespace is the requirement, PowerScale is the established choice.
This is not a head-to-head where one product wins; it is a question of data access model. Pick ObjectScale when your workload is object-native (S3 applications, AI data lakes, geo-distributed archives at exabyte scale) and PowerScale when your workload is file-native (NFS/SMB shares for home directories, media, genomics, analytics, and HPC). Many Dell customers run both, using PowerScale as the high-performance file tier and ObjectScale as the capacity object tier or long-term data lake. The most reliable way to decide is to look at how your applications expect to read and write data: if they mount a share, lean PowerScale; if they call an S3 endpoint, lean ObjectScale. As a Dell partner, Uniqcli can help size either platform, or design a combined file-plus-object architecture, against your specific capacity, performance, and multi-site requirements.
Talk to a specialistFrequently asked
Is ObjectScale the same as the old ECS?
It is the next evolution of it. ObjectScale is built on the proven Dell EMC ECS codebase and inherits ECS's global scalability and strong S3 compatibility, but it has been re-architected as software-defined storage using a microservices, Kubernetes-based design. Dell currently positions ECS and ObjectScale as complementary, with ObjectScale being the path for modern, cloud-native and AI workloads. Existing systems can move to ObjectScale via a software update.
Can PowerScale do object storage too, so why would I need ObjectScale?
PowerScale's OneFS is multiprotocol and does support S3 alongside NFS, SMB, HDFS, HTTP and FTP, which is great for accessing the same file data over an object API. But PowerScale is fundamentally scale-out NAS with a file-system core. ObjectScale is a dedicated, purpose-built object platform engineered for exabyte-class capacity, geo-distributed active-active access across sites, and very large numbers of objects. For object-first or globally distributed workloads at extreme scale, ObjectScale is designed for the job in ways a NAS-centric system is not.
Can I run both together?
Yes, and many organizations do. A common pattern uses PowerScale as the high-performance file tier for active workloads and ObjectScale as the capacity object tier, backup target, or long-term data lake. Because both are Dell platforms, they can be procured, supported, and architected together. Uniqcli can help design a combined file-and-object solution sized to your performance, capacity, and multi-site needs.
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